Thursday, September 1, 2016

Habib Tanvir

Today is the birth anniversary of Habib Tanvir, the noted playwright , theatre personality and actor.He is better known for his well acclaimed plays Agra Bazar and Charandas Chor . While the former highlighted the works and times of Nazir Akbarabadi , a renowned shayar, in the latter he introduced Nach, a commentary made by a group through singing. He did pioneering work among the tribals of Chhatisgarh, establishing New Theatre there. Trained in acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts , London, he learnt the art of direction at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.He also acted in nine feature films including Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi , Hero Hiralal, Charandas Chor, Prahar, Mangal Pandey, and an unreleased film Black & White.

He received many honours and awards including the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Jawarharlal Nehru Fellowship , Padma Shri , Kalidas Samman , Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship , and the Padma Bhushan . Apart from this, he also remained a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha (1972–1978).